Students

Noah is a graduate student pursing a PhD in Electrical Engineering in the field of power systems.  His research focuses on integer-optimization planning problems for the power grid, including grid restoration planning and public safety wildfire shutoffs, in collaboration with Los Alamos National Laboratory.   Originally from Wisconsin, Noah also received his BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a certificate in Engineering for Energy Sustainability.

Jerrold Acdan is a graduate student in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences. As a member of the Pierce Research Group, he investigates the formation, spatial distribution, and transport of air pollutants using satellite retrievals, field campaign data, and atmospheric chemistry models. Through the EAP program, Jerrold is excited to learn about the energy sector and its impacts on climate and air quality. Before coming to UW-Madison, he received a B.A. in Chemistry and Geography from UC Berkeley in 2017 and worked as a Project Coordination Fellow for the NASA DEVELOP National Program.

Eri R. Amezcua is a Mechanical Engineering PhD Student at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Eri is part of the Wisconsin Engine Research Center, and he is an ARL CUP Fellow. For his undergraduate career, Eri attended the University of Texas Tech earning the degrees of B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and Petroleum Engineering. He earned his M.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering in the spring of 2019 at University of Wisconsin–Madison. Eri was awarded the EAP International Student Scholarship in 2018.

Drashti Amin is a master’s student at the Nelson Institute of Environmental Studies. As a graduate researcher working with Prof. Tracey Holloway, her work is focused on enhancing the understanding of pollutant exposure for public health assessments by utilizing a combination of methods such as satellite data and air quality models. Besides completing a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering in India, Drashti has previously worked on a diverse array of subjects such as air quality and carbon capture & storage.

Shubham is a master’s student in Industrial and Systems Engineering at UW Madison. He has another masters degree in Mechanical engineering specializing in Energy systems and a keen interest in renewable energy, specifically solar energy. He has worked exclusively on the comparison and selection of the best solar PV technology using multi-criteria decision tools from Operations Research. He has also worked on solar-based gasification and selection of the most sustainable wastewater treatment technology among the possible alternatives. Attri’s major at UW is allowing him to add data science and machine learning to my wings of knowledge, and he aspires to use his skillset for sustainable development and decision making.

Abdullahi Bihi is an M.S. student in Urban and Regional Planning and is pursuing an Energy Analysis and Policy certificate. His research interest focuses on climate action planning and sustainable transportation energy. He works with real-world data to analyze policies, programs, and plans to reduce greenhouse emissions from travel, as well as the potential health and well-being co-benefits of sustainable transportation interventions. He graduated from Hanyang University in South Korea in 2016 with a degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering. Bihi was awarded the EAP Student Scholarship in 2021.

Matilyn Bindl is an MS student in the Nelson Institute’s Environment and Resources program, where she is excited to pursue her PhD in energy and climate policy under the guidance of Dr. Morgan Edwards of the La Follette School of Public Affairs. Matilyn graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2019 with her BS in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences. During her undergraduate and post-baccalaureate career, she worked as a research assistant to Dr. Tracey Holloway at the Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment (SAGE), where she explored solutions regarding air quality, climate, and public health. Matilyn also serves as the Program Coordinator for Science-A-Thon, an annual social media event that increases the visibility of science and creates opportunities for women and minorities in STEM. Matilyn was awarded the EAP Student Scholarship in 2020.

Jennifer is a PhD student with the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department. Her research, supervised by Prof. Dominic Groß, relates to grid-forming control of power converters for reliable and stable integration of renewable energy into the bulk power system. Through a graduate minor in Energy Analysis and Policy, she strives to contribute to accessible and equitable energy solutions. On campus, Jennifer is also a Graduate Engineering Research Scholar (GERS) and on the student advisory board for the Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Funding. Before joining UW-Madison, she earned an honors degree in Engineering and Physics from Brown University, in which her thesis explored the optimization and design of solar photovoltaic energy systems. Jennifer was a recipient of the 2021 Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate Fellowship and the 2022 Energy Analysis and Policy Scholarship. Outside of the classroom, Jennifer enjoys knitting, walking, and cooking new recipes.

Erin Bulson is from Kansas City, Missouri. She attended Colorado Technical University (BS Business Administration) and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (MS Geosciences). Erin is currently pursuing a PhD in civil and environmental engineering at UW-Madison and with Dr. Andrea Hicks. Erin’s PhD research focuses on modeling environmental impacts associated with management of end-of-life material streams, including electric vehicles. She is proud to be part of the Energy Analysis and Policy community at UW-Madison.

Mikhaila Calice is a doctoral student in the Department of Life Sciences Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research interests include risk, political communication, and public deliberation, specifically regarding topics and technologies related to U.S. energy policy. Mikhaila earned her MPA from the La Follette School of Public Affairs where she concentrated in Energy Analysis and Policy through the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies. With this energy policy background, Mikhaila is particularly interested in how controversial science issues related to climate change and the energy transition are communicated to the public and policy-makers to explore collaborative approaches to policy making. Mikhaila also does work as a Research Analyst for Slipstream, Inc., an energy efficiency research nonprofit, where she analyzes energy efficiency programs, energy usage trends, electricity pricing, emerging energy technology, and other topics relevant to energy policy.

Daritza is a PhD student in the Environment and Resources program at the Nelson Institute. She is interested in air quality, climate change, and health equity. Daritza hopes to help communities who are disproportionately impacted by air pollution and climate change. Daritza was awarded the EAP Student Scholarship in 2020.

Jake Erickson is a PhD student in the Environment and Resources program and Agricultural and Applied Economics program. His research investigates the distributional equity impacts of clean energy and decarbonization policies and technologies in the US and abroad. Prior to grad school, Jake worked in the energy analysis sector, consulting for major utilities in the US and conducting original research on energy access and development in Sub-Saharan Africa and the South Pacific. When not coding in R, Jake can be found running or biking the many trails of Madison, spending time in the garden, or re-watching Marvel movies with his partner and two cats.

Ciaran Gallagher is a MS student in the Nelson Institute’s Environment and Resources program. Her thesis investigates the air quality co-benefits of decarbonizing energy and transportation systems along with its environmental justice implications. Due to previous work experience at local and state governments, Ciaran is interested in contributing to data-driven governance in pursuit of climate change mitigation. She graduated from Wellesley College in 2017 with a degree in Environmental Chemistry. Ciaran is the 2020-2021 George Bunn Distinguished Graduate Fellow.

Sam Garcia is first-year graduate student pursuing a Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering & Engineering Physics with a minor in Energy Analysis and Policy. His current research focuses on modeling multi-physics phenomena for nuclear micro-reactors to understand how to optimize for cost, safety, and performance. Sam received a BS in Nuclear Engineering from UW-Madison with a minor in pure mathematics in May 2021, where his research focused on developing testing methods for High-Entropy Alloys as an advanced nuclear material. With his current and previous experiences, Sam seeks to establish nuclear technology as a flexible energy source capable of being deployed in established, developing, or remote grid systems. In his free time he enjoys hiking, weightlifting and cooking for friends. Sam is a 2022 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow and was awarded the EAP Student Scholarship in 2021.

Gesangyangji is a Ph.D. student in the Nelson Institute’s Environment & Resources program. She is working for Prof. Holloway and is a member of Holloway Group at SAGE. She is skilled in applying advanced atmospheric data in environment and energy fields. Currently, she is studying the impacts of climate change on design of building specifications.

Jenna Greene is a MPA/EAP student at the La Follette School studying public affairs. She also works as a project assistant with Prof. Nemet on topics related to climate and energy policies. Jenna graduated from Carleton College in Northfield, MN, after which she spent time in Omaha, NE working in community engagement and Minneapolis, MN working with cities and counties on local-level solar policies and climate action planning. Jenna is particularly interested in the links between climate and energy policies with housing, transportation, and labor policies to alleviate societal disparities. Jenna was awarded the EAP Student Scholarship in 2020.

Sara Hartke is a graduate student in Civil and Environmental Engineering, where she is pursuing her master’s degree under the guidance of Nimish Pujara and Jennifer Franck (in the Engineering Physics department). She received her bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas at Dallas in May 2020 before starting at UW-Madison as a research assistant in Fall 2021. Sara has previously participated in research on designing a 6-DOF platform for a scaled wind turbine at UT-Dallas. She is interested in fluid dynamics and renewable energy, and her research focuses on exploring the effects of waves/turbulence on crossflow turbines in waterways. Sara was awarded the EAP Student Scholarship in 2021.

Henry is an MPA student at the La Follette School of Public Affairs. Prior to graduate school, Henry helped lead energy conservation programing for public facilities in Alaska while working at the Renewable Energy Alaska Project. Since moving to Wisconsin, Henry completed a year long study through the Office of Energy Innovation looking at the feasibility of economically transitioning the state’s public schools to zero net energy. Additionally, Henry has worked as an energy modeler helping organizations track their carbon, energy usage, renewable energy system production and measuring facilities efficiency.

Ugochukwu Ikegwu is a graduate student (Ph.D.) in Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “No challenge poses a greater threat to future generations than climate change” and “at present, we are stealing the future and calling it GDP.” This captures the crux of his interest in the energy sector; analyzing and reengineering the energy infrastructures, developing new technologies, studying existing policies and the economics to aid efficient energy transition. He completed his B.Eng. degree in Chemical Engineering from Landmark University, Nigeria, in 2017, and his M.Sc. degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, in 2021, both with distinctions. Upon his M.Sc. completion, his research birthed an energy consulting firm called Enviroenerg solutions in South Africa, where he served as a director and principal process engineer before joining UW-Madison. In his free time, he enjoys playing chess, soccer and having engaging conversations about humanity. He looks forward to the rewarding experience and knowledge to be gained from the EAP program.

Richard is a highly versatile technical and commercial personnel with 15 years working experience in Africa and US Land. He has at various times and roles overseen Strategic Sales and Account Management, Business Development, Operations and Marketing activities in Global businesses such as Schneider Electric, Emerson Process Management, Baker Hughes Incorporated, B.G. Technical Limited, and WorleyParsons Company. Richard holds a First-Class degree in Electrical Electronic Engineering from the University of Benin, Executive MBA from the Lagos Business School both in Nigeria and currently working towards the completion of a master’s degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, United States.

Elizabeth Jurado is an M.S. student in the Nelson Institute’s Environment & Resources program and is advised by Dr. Morgan Robertson. Elizabeth’s research interests center around the impacts of energy infrastructure on communities and the environment. Previously, she interned with the U.S. Department of Energy, where she was able to explore regulatory perspectives and compliance. Elizabeth received her B.S. in Ecology from the University of Georgia in 2021.

Samantha is an MPA student at the La Follette School of Public Affairs. Before joining the EAP program, she graduated Magna Cum Laude from Loyola University Chicago’s Interdisciplinary Honors Program with a degree in English (BA). She served as the Loyola Student Environmental Alliance’s Community Partnerships Chair and has a strong interest in environmental justice. Samantha was awarded the EAP Student Scholarship in 2021.

Anke is a Ph.D. student in the Nelson Institute Environment and Resources program. She is working with Paul Block, with main interests lying in water allocation and hydropower. Anke was awarded the EAP International Student Scholarship in 2018.

Unni is a first-year graduate student in the Chemical & Biological Engineering department at UW-Madison. After graduating with a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Rochester in 2018, he spent 18 months as a systems engineer outside of Boston, designing and installing control systems in the pharmaceutical industry. He has joined the EAP program out of a strong interest in combining his technical interests with a deeper understanding of the policy and economic considerations that make technological progress possible. In his free time, he enjoys playing basketball, exploring his local community, and sitting down for a discussion with anyone on politics. Unni was awarded the EAP Student Scholarship in 2020.

Dorothy Lsoto is a graduate student pursuing her Ph.D. in Environment and Resources at the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies. Prior to graduate school, Dorothy has been working in East Africa, Uganda on several renewable energy research projects like solar, biomass and biogas. She has also done a lot of work with air quality in institutions and schools using biogas versus firewood for cooking. She loves working with communities and introducing them to clean energies. Her main interests are renewable energy; currently she works with Prof. Jonathan Patz. Dorothy was awarded the EAP International Student Scholarship in 2018.

Maitreyee is a graduate student in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department. She is advised by Prof. Giri Venkataramanan and is a student member of the Wisconsin Electric Machines and Power Electronics Consortium (WEMPEC). She completed her undergraduate studies in India, where she worked with grassroots organizations for rural electrification. Her graduate work is on microgrids and their applications to remote electrification and resilient energy solutions for home healthcare. Maitreyee was awarded the EAP Student Scholarship in 2021.

Katie is a graduate student in Nuclear Engineering & Engineering Physics and her research focuses on modeling the nuclear fuel cycle for nuclear nonproliferation. In her spare time, Katie is active in teaching nuclear science concepts to the general public.

Bailie is completing her M.S. in Agricultural & Applied Economics in addition to the Energy Analysis and Policy certificate. She is interested in the intersection of energy policy, environmental issues and environmental justice, and hopes to use her empirical skills to aid the energy transition. She is currently conducting research on the economic benefits for farmers using healthy soil practices as a research assistant.

Nishanth is a PhD student at the Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering, specializing broadly in the domain of Electrical Power and Energy. His research at WEMPEC involves development of power electronics and electro-mechanical drive systems. Prior to Joining UW Madison, he was involved with the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras working on Fuel Cell Inverters & Motor Drives with Prof. Krishna Vasudevan’s group. His undergraduate major project, “Unipolar SPWM based Reactive Power Compensator” was funded and recognized as the best project of the year 2015 by Karnataka State Council for Science & Technology – Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru. His interests span Power Electronics, Control & Drive design, Smart Grids, Data Analysis and application of Internet of Things to power systems.

Ian is a first-year graduate student in Nuclear Engineering & Engineering Physics. He grew up in Alabama, where he received his undergraduate degree in physics. His research interests are in materials for nuclear energy systems. In his free time, he enjoys juggling and weightlifting. Ian was awarded the EAP Student Scholarship in 2020.

Jayant is a PhD student at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. He is part of the Anex lab at the Wisconsin Energy Institute and is working on developing a novel Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology. Particularly, he is designing a lab scale continuous prototype reactor to evaluate its techno–economic feasibility, before scaling up the design to a pilot scale. Through the EAP program, he wishes to learn relevant tools like life cycle assessment, cost–benefit analysis and develop an understanding of how legislations and regulations affect the implementation of DAC at scale. Before starting his PhD, Jayant completed his master’s degree in environmental engineering from University of Florida and brings in substantive experience as a research assistant from the National Institute of Advanced Studies, India.

Nolan is a graduate student pursuing a master’s degree in Agricultural and Applied Economics and a certificate in Energy Analysis and Policy. His studies concentrate on the economics of the environment, natural resources, and energy systems, as well as on applying quantitative methods and data analysis to policy and program evaluation. Using economic modeling to capitalize on the data-intensive economy, he seeks to inform business and policy decisions that are efficient, affordable, and sustainable. Nolan was awarded the EAP Student Scholarship in 2021.

Jing Ling Tan is an incoming MIPA student at the La Folle’e School. He graduated from the dual B.A. program with Sciences Po Paris and the National University of Singapore, receiving a first in political science and social science. Jing Ling will be joining A/P Morgan Edwards’ team at the Climate Action Lab as a project assistant, where he will apply his interest in climate policy/politics. Jing Ling is grateful for the funding support from the Tan Ean Kiam Postgraduate Scholarship and the EAP Student Scholarship.

Sofia Taylor is currently a Research-MS student in Electrical Engineering. As a graduate research assistant, she develops synthetic grid test cases using realistic renewable energy data and geo-located wildfire data. Sofia received a BS in Electrical Engineering with a concentration in Renewable Electric Energy Systems and a minor in Environmental Science from North Carolina State University in May 2020. At the FREEDM Systems Center at NC State, Sofia contributed to the development of a wireless charging system for electric vehicles and co-authored a paper on the subject, which was accepted to APEC 2020. During a semester at University College Cork in Ireland, Sofia conducted research in wave energy converter simulation. Outside of school, Sofia volunteers for All We Are, a non-profit dedicated to increasing access to solar energy at schools and medical clinics in rural Uganda.

Zach is an MS student in the Nelson Institute’s Environment and Resources program. As a research assistant for Dr. Morgan Edwards, he will examine the effects of corporate venture capital on cleantech startup growth and its contribution to greenhouse gas emissions reduction. He began researching cleantech innovation at the Center for Global Sustainability at the University of Maryland after graduating in 2019 with a BS in Physics and a BA in Government and Politics. Zach is a 2021­­­­­­­­­­­–2022 Weston Distinguished Graduate Fellow and was awarded the EAP Student Scholarship in 2021.

Rishika is a second-year master’s student in the Urban and Regional Planning program. She graduated from Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad in 2021 with a Bachelor’s in Civil Engineering. She is passionate about environmental justice and the energy-health-transportation nexus. She is currently working in the Holloway lab, looking at relationships between air quality in cities and social vulnerability, and on the Farmland Preservation Program and solar use cases at Dane County Planning and Development. She wants to use her experience in engineering to bridge the gap between the technical consultants and policy makers.

Teja develops catalysts and processes for the sustainable production of fuels and valuable chemicals. She is the recipient of the Quad Fellowship in 2022 and is keen on a career in academia and being involved in positions of public service. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Chemical Engineering working with Prof Shannon Stahl at the University of Wisconsin- Madison. Previously, Teja was a Commonwealth Scholar reading for an MPhil in Chemistry at the University of Cambridge. She was the President of the Cambridge Zero Postgraduate Academy and led several sustainability initiatives on campus. She has gained varied research experiences having already worked at six different labs across the world. She also has prior experience in translating lab-scale research to industry from founding her start-up in waste treatment that won the UK India Social Innovation Challenge 2019. Teja is now looking to collaborate with policymakers and industry partners on high-impact ventures in energy and sustainability.

My name is Xinran Wu, a graduate student in the Environment & Resources program of Nelson Institute. The research that I am doing is about the multi-pollutant emissions reduction strategies and the potential impacts on carbon reduction, specifically in energy and transportation sector. I am so glad to join the EAP community and receive the expertise from prestigious EAP faculty members. I really learned a lot from both energy and policy perspective. I would love to share this exciting program with more prospective students!

Andrew Zaiser is a first year MIPA and EAP Certificate student at the La Folle’e School of Public Affairs. Originally from Glen Gardner, New Jersey, he graduated from Kenyon College in 2020, where he double majored in International Studies and Spanish. After graduation, Andrew moved to San Francisco, where he worked as a Conflicts Research Assistant at Covington & Burling, a multinational law firm. His policy interests include development policy in Latin America, energy and natural resource policy, and the ways in which the intersection between the private and public sectors can drive sustainable economic growth and development. Andrew was awarded the EAP Student Scholarship in 2022.

Luyi Zeng is currently pursuing the Environment & Resource PhD at UW-Madison. Her research interests center on studying interactions between environment, agriculture, and policy within the Economics analysis framework, mainly how agricultural systems respond to energy policies, regulations, and climate crises. Her current work focus on the estimates of agricultural land use change attributable to biofuel policies in the U.S. She is also working on examining agricultural adaptations to climate crisis through the lens of cross-border trade of agricultural products. In her spare time, she likes hiking, exploring stunning landscapes and amazing wildlife.